Apparatus for the manufacture of paint roller covers



1960 A. L. SANNIPQL! ETAL 2,920,372

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAINT ROLLER COVERS Filed Jan. so, 1956s Sheets-Sheet 1 VACUUM VACUUM HIGH VAUUM iiima INVENTORS ALFRED L.SANNIPOLI 8r EARL. E. firoMAs A TTOENEKT.

A. L. SANNIPOLI ET AL Jan. 12, 1960 APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OFPAINT ROLLER COVERS Filed Jan. 30, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ji rm INVENTORSALFRED L. SANNIPOL/ EARL E. THOMAS ATTORNEYS.

n- 1960 A. L. SANNIPOLI ETAL 2,920,372

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAINT ROLLER COVERS Filed Jan. 30, 19565 Sheets-Sheet 3 6 r QWUHHH INVENTORS ALFRED L. .ShNN/POL/ 4121. f.THOMAS ATTORNEYS.

1950 A. L. SANNIPOLI ETAL 2,920,372

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAINT ROLLER COVERS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Jan. 30, 1956 f 9 w m m w wwmw a W m INVENTORS ALF/2E0 L.SA/wv/Pou 84 [4/21. 5 77-10MA5 A TTORNE Y5 A. L. SANNlPOLl ETAL2,920,372

Jan. 12, 1960 I APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAINT ROLLER COVERSFiled Jan. 30, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. ALF/2E0 L. Jami/P041 &EARL 7Z/oMAs ATTORNEYS 2,920,372 Patented Jan. 12, 1960 APPARATUS FORTHE MANUFACTURE OF PAINT ROLLER COVERS Alfred L. Sannipoli, Royal Oak,and Earl E. Thomas, Detroit, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, toSeamless Covers Incorporated, Janesville, Wis., a corporation ofWisconsin Application January 30, 1956, Serial No. 562,170 4 Claims.(Cl. 26-2) This invention relates to the manufacture of paint rollersand particularly to a method and apparatus for combing and shearing thepaint roller covers.

Roller covers which are used for applying paint comprise a hollow coreto the outer surface of which is adhered a sleeve of knitted pilefabric, with the pile fibers extending generally radially outwardly. Theknitted pile fabric may be manufactured on a machine such as that shownin the patent to Moore 1,849,466, issued March 15, 1932, wherein thepile fibers are knitted into the fabric as the fabric is formed.

In the manufacture of such pile fabric there is incorporated with thepile fibers which are knitted in the fabric an excess of pile fiberswhich must be removed from the paint roller cover. In addition, in theoriginally knitted form, the fibers are of unequal length and thereforemust be sheared to form a smooth even surface for use of the fabric inmaking the paint roller covers.

Up to recently, it has been customary to knit the pile fabric in theform of a sleeve of very large diameter and thereafter slit the sleeveto form a flat piece of fabric which may be subjected to electrifyingand shearing. The flat piece of fabric is also subjected to a treatmentto seal the back of the base fabric and prevent the pile which has beenknitted into the base fabric from being pulled or coming out of the basefabric. The flat piece of fabric is then slit into lengths which permitits being helically wound around a core to form the paint roller cover.

Paint roller covers have also been made from pieces of animal pelt ornatural shearling which have been suitably treated and sheared in a flatcondition. A fiat piece of previously treated natural shearling is slitinto lengths which permit its being helically wound around a core toform the paint roller cover. Paint roller covers have also been made bysewing flat pieces of pile fabric or natural shearling along alongitudinal seam to form a tube. When paint roller covers are made frompile fabric or natural shearling by helically winding or sewing lengthsof the pile fabric or natural shearling, the resultant peripheralsurface of the paint roller cover has a tendency to be uneven because ofthe variations inherent in the helical winding and sewing.

More recently, it has been suggested that the pile fabric be knitted asa sleeve of small diameter whereby it can be mounted directly on a core.When such a sleeve is used to make paint roller covers, the resultantcover has a pile of uneven length containing a great quantity of loosefibers which are not knitted into the base fabric. The removal of theloose fibers and the shearing of the pile of such cylindrical paintroller covers pose problems which have not heretofore been present inmaking paint roller covers from lengths of flat pieces of pile fabricwhich has previously been subjected to a treatment for removing theloose fibers and shearing the pile, or from lengths of previouslytreated fiat pieces of natural shearling. t

It is an object of this invention to provide a method and apparatus forstraightening the fibers and shearing the fibers from a paint rollercover after it has been' mounted on a core.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a method andapparatus for combing out the excess of the fibers and shearing the pileof the paint roller cover to form a smooth even surface, where the paintroller cover is made from a knitted sleeve of smalldiameter.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method andapparatus wherein the loose pile fibers are recovered and collected forreuse.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method andapparatus wherein the combing and shearing is accomplished quickly andautomatically.

Basically, the apparatus for performing the invention comprises a tablearound the periphery of which is mounted a multiplicity of rotatable,vertical spindles. The table is, in turn, mounted for rotation about avertical axis in step-by-step fashion past a series of combing andshearing stations. The paint roller covers are mounted on the verticalspindles and moved by the table into position adjacent each of aplurality of stations. The paint roller covers are subjected to a vacuumand a combing or shearing operation at the various stations, as morefully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view, parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 33 in Fig.2, on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 4-4 in Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 5-5 in Fig.2.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the paint roller cover I after it hasbeen passed through the machine.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of one of the combing stations.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 88 in Fig.7, on aslightly enlarged scale.

Fig. 9 is an elevational view of one of the shearing stations.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along the line Ill-10 in Fig. 9, on aslightly enlarged scale.

Fig. 11 is an elevational view of the bevel shearing station for thelower end of the roller.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the line 1212 inFig. 11, on a slightly enlarged scale.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary elevational view at another station of themachine showing the bevel shearing of the upper end of the paint rollercover. v

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line 14-14 in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 6, a paint roller cover in completed conditioncomprises a sleeve S of knitted pile fabric or natural shearling mountedon a core C with the pile fibers substantially uniform in length. Theupper and lower ends of sleeve S are preferably bevelled. Where thesleeve is made of knitted pile fabric, the pile fabric may be made ofnatural or synthetic fibers such as wool, cotton, mohair, rayon, nylon,dynel and the like or mixtures thereof. The shearing of the pile of thesleeve S is performed as the last step in the manufacture of paintrollers. The method and apparatus disclosed herein is particularlyapplicable where the sleeve S is made from a seamless knitted tube ofsmall diameter.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the apparatus of the present inventioncomprises a base 20 including vertical legs 21 onwhich a substantiallycircular, horizontal table 22 is mounted for stepwise rotation. Amultiplicity of rotatable spindles 23 which are driven continuously are:9 a mounted in vertical position on the table 22 at circumferentiallyspaced points along the periphery thereof. As shown in Fig. l, twelvespindles 23 are supported on the table 22 and the table is adapted to beindexed successively to bring each spindle past twelve stations.

As the table is indexed, each spindle is brought successively to aloading station 25 at which the paint roller cover is mounted on thespindle. On loading, the movement of the paint roller cover downwardlyon the spindle is limited by a stop 24 near the lower end of thespindle. As the table is indexed, the spindle is brought successivelyinto register with comb-ing stations 26, 27 and 28, a shearing station29, combing stations 39 and 31, a second shearing station 32, a bottombevel shearing station 33, a top bevel shearing station 34-, a highvacuum station 35, and finally an unloading station 36.

At the combing stations 26, 27, 28, 34 and 31, the surface of the paintroller cover is combed, while at the shearing stations 29 and 32, thefibers of the paint roller cover are sheared. At the bottom and topbevel shearing stations 33 and 34, the ends of the paint roller coverare bevelled.

At each of the above mentioned stations, a vacuum is applied in a radialdirection to the pile fibers of the paint roller cover. As shown in Fig.1, a vacuum source 37 is provided with a header 38 which, in turn, isconnected to the combing stations 26, 27 and 28 by flexible conduits 32,40 and 41, respectively. A second vacuum source 42 is also provided witha header 43 which is connected to the first shearing station 29, combingstations and 31, second shearing station 32 and bottom and top bevelshearing stations 33, 34, by flexible conduits 44, 45, 46, 47, 48 and49, respectively. A third source of vacuum 50, of greater magnitude thanthe sources 37 and 42, also includes a header 51 connected to the secondshearing station 32 and high vacuum station by flexible conduits 52 and53, respectively.

he vacuum source 37 connectedto the combing stations prior to shearingis preferably separate from vacuum source 42, since the fibers removedfrom the combing stations 26, 27 and 28 are primarily the loose fibers;and these are collected in a suitable receptacle and reclaimed for use.

Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the means for continuously rotating thespindles 23 comprises a motor 55 mounted beneath the base 26 and drivinga speed reduction unit 56 through a pulley 57 on the motor shaft, pulley53 on the shaft of the reduction unit 56 and a belt 5% trained over thepulleys 57, 58. The reduction unit 56 is provided with a shaft 6%}extending upwardly through the center of the table 22 and having a gear61 keyed thereto.

The gear 61 meshes with idler gear 62 which, in turn,

meshes with an idler gear 63. The idler gears 62, 63 I are rotatablymounted on the table 22. The idler gear 63 meshes with a gear 64 keyedto the shaft 65 of a spindle 23. Each of the spindles 23 has a gear 66keyed to the shaft 65 thereof. and idler gears 67 are rotatably mountedon the table 22 and engage between the successive gears 66 on thespindle shafts.

As the motor 55 is operated, the gear 61 will be rotated, thus, rotatingthe idler gears 62, 63 and, in turn, rotating the spindles 23 throughthe gear train which meshes with the idler gear 63. Since idler gears 67are provided between successive spindles, all the spindles will rotatein the same direction, namely, clockwise as shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 5, the indexing of the table 22 may be accomplished byany suitable mechanism well known in the art, for example, a plate 79fastened to the bottom or" the table and rotatable in stepwise fashionby a pneumatic motor 71 which may be caused, upon actuation thereof, toactuate a pawl and ratchet 72, 73.

Each of the spindles 23 is provided with a plunger 140 which projectsthrough an opening in the side thereof and is held in a radiallyoutermost position by a spring 141. The outward movement of the plungeris limited by a flange 142 on the plunger which contacts the inner wallof a hollowed-out portion of the spindle. The plunger 140 tends toprevent the sleeve S from rotating on the spindle (Fig. 7).

Each of the combing stations 26, 27, 28, 3t) and 31 is substantiallyidentical in structure. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the first combingstation 26 comprises a supporting bracket 76 having an upper portion 77which is generally channel shaped in horizontal section. Verticallyspaced arms 78, 79 extend generally horizontally from the upper portionof the bracket '76, and a comb $0 is mounted between the arms forrotation about a vertical axis. A sprocket 81 is mounted on the upperend of the shaft of the comb 80. The comb is provided with amultiplicity of radially extending wire teeth 75. The vacuum conduit 39communicates with the area surrounding the comb 80 through an opening 82in the upper section 77 of the bracket 76. Arcuate shields 83, 84 areprovided around the periphery of the combs and extend from the bracket76 around the comb and in close proximity thereto terminating adjacentthe area in which the paint roller will contact the comb.

As shown in Fig. 8, when the table 22 is indexed to bring a loadedspindle 23 into position adjacent a combing station, the teeth 75 of thecomb 80 are caused to penetrate into and engage the layer of fibers onthe paint roller cover. Since the comb is continuously rotating,preferably in the opposite direction relative to the direction ofrotation of the paint roller cover, the wire teeth 75 will serve toremove any loose fibers and, in addition, straighten the pile fiberswhich are knitted into the sleeve of the paint roller so that theyextend in a radially outward direction in position for shearing. Thefibers which are removed from the paint roller will be carried by theteeth 75 around through the housing formed by the shields 83, 84 to aposition adjacent the vacuum conduit 39 where the vacuum will pull theloose fibers from the teeth of the comb and carry them to the source ofvacuum. These fibers are collected, and in the case of the combingstations 26, 27 and 28, the fibers are of sufiicient length as to permitreuse thereof, for example, in knitting new knit pile fabric sleeves.

As shown in Fig. 1, the combs at the various combing stations are drivenfrom a single motor 85 mounted on the base 20. The motor 85 drives agear reduction unit 86 through a chain 87. Each of the combs at thecombing stations 26, 27, 28, 30 and 31 have a pair of sprockets on theend of the comb shaft whereby the driving connection may be made to thereduction gear unit successively from one unit to another by chains 88,89, 90, 91 and 92, thus, driving the combs counterclockwise as viewed inFig. 8.

Each of the shearing stations 29, 32 is substantially identical inconstruction. As shown in Pig. 9, the first shearing station 29comprises a bracket 93 having a channel shaped upper section 94 andvertically spaced arms 95, 96 extending generally horizontally from theupper section 94 and rotatably supporting a rotary shear 97. A pully 98is fixed to the upper end of the shaft of the shear 97 and is driven bya motor 99 supported on a plate 100 on the side of the bracket 93,through a belt 101. The shear 97 is of the usual type used for shearingpile fabrics and includes a multiplicity of generally spiral blades orteeth 102. The teeth 102 cooperate, at the periphery of the paint rollersleeve, with a fixed blade 103 extending inwardly toward the teeth andmounted on the plate 101]. A thin wall 164 extends between the uppersection 94 of bracket 93 and an area adjacent the fixed blade 103,leaving an opening sufficiently large to permit the paint roller to bemoved into shearing position. The area surrounding theshear 97 isbrought into communication with vacuum conduit 44 through an opening 105in the upper section 94 of the bracket 93.

The shear 97 is preferably rotated in a direction opposite to thedirection of rotation of the spindles 23 which support the paintrollers, namely, counterclockwise, as shown in Fig. 10.

The combing apparatus at the combing stations 30, 31 is substantiallyidentical to that at the stations 26, 27 and 28, while the shearingstation 32 is substantially identical with that at the first shearingstation 29. At the second shearing station 32, the paint roller cover issubjected directly to a high vacuum through the conduit 52. This isapplied directly to the surface of the cover by a nozzle 120 connectedto the end of the conduit 52 (Figs. 1, 10, 14). As shown in Fig. 14, thenozzle 120 includes an elongated slot 121. The nozzle 120 is positionedso that the slot 121 extends longitudinally of the paint roller coveradjacent the fixed blade 103 so that the high vacuum tends to removeloose fibers or lint and, in addition, straighten the remaining pilefibers on the paint roller cover.

As shown in Fig. 9, the shears 97 .are mounted so that they may bereadily moved out of shearing position for sharpening and adjustment Thebracket 93 is pivotally mounted on a slide 125 by means of a horizontalbolt 126. The slide 125 is supported by and may be moved along a bracket127 which is fixed to the base 20. The bracket 127 includes anupstanding portion 128 in which an adjusting screw 129 is journalled.The end of the screw 129 is threaded into a projection 130 on one end ofslide 125 so that by rotating the screw 129, the position of the slide,and in turn, of the bracket 93 which supports the shear is "adjusted.The bracket 93 is provided with a slot 131 and when the bracket is inshearing position the slot 131 passes over a bolt 132 fixed to the slide125 and having a nut 133 threaded on the end thereof. The nut 133engages the outer surface of the bracket '93. In order to gain access tothe shear, the nut 133 is loosened and the bracket 93 supporting themotor 99 and the shear is pivoted about the bolt 126 to swing the shearand motor away from the shearing position. The brackets v which supportthe combs may also be similarly mounted to provide for adjustment andaccess thereto.

The bottom and top trimming stations 33 and 34, respectively, aresubstantially identical in structure and each includes an apparatus suchas that shown in Figs. 11 and 12. As shown in Fig. 11, the bottomtrimming station 33 comprises a support 106 in. which a slide 107 ismounted for vertical movement. The slide 107 is held in adjustableposition vertically of the support 106 by a screw 108 threaded into theslide and operated by rotation of a handle 109. A plate 110 is mountedon the slide 107 by means of bolts 134 extending through elongated slots135 in the plate 110. The plate 110 supports a motor 111 and a smallshear 112, the shaft 113 of which is journalled in the bearing 114. Themotor 111 is connected to rotate the shear 112 by means of a pulley 115on the motor shaft, a pulley 116 on the shaft 113 of the shear, and abelt 117 trained over the pulleys 115, 116. The vacuum conduit 48 isbrought into position adjacent the shear and has a nozzle 119 connectedto the end thereof.

As the table 22 brings a spindle 23 into position adjacent the bottomtrimming station 33, the shear 112 cooperates with a fixed blade 118 onthe plate 110 to shear the fibers on the end of the sleeve and therebybevel the end of the sleeve of the paint roller cover. By rotating thehandle 109, the vertical position of the shear 112 may be adjusted. Theangle of the bevel may also be adjusted by loosening the bolts 134 andchanging the position of the plate 110 on the slide 107. As shown inFig. 13, in the case of the top trimming station 34, the plate 110 ispositioned on the slide 107 in such a manner that shear '112 will thefibers on the upper end of the sleeve.

At the vacuum station 35, a nozzle122 is provided on the end of theconduit 53 whichis connected to the header 51 of the source of highvacuum.- Nozzle 122 is substantially the same as the nozzle-120 whichapplies high vacuum to the paint roller cover at the second shearingstat-ion 32. At the'station 35 the nozzle 122 is positioned so that theslot thereof is substantially parallel to the axis of the paint rollercover and thereby applies a high vacuum to the surface of the cover forremoving any remaining loose fibers or lint and straightening theremaining pile fibers.

According to the method, the motor 55 is continuously operated tocontinuously rotate the spindles 23. The in dexing mechanism 70 is alsocontinuously operated to suc cessively index the table 22, bringing eachspindle successively into register with each of the various stations.The motor 85 is continuously operated to rotate the combs at the combingstations and the other motors are also operated to continuously rotatethe shears at the shearing stations 29, 32 and the bevelling shears atthe bevelling stations 33, 34. The vacuum sources 37, 42 and 50 whichare of conventional large-capacity type are also continuously operatedto provide a vacuum at the various stations. I

With the table 22 being continuously indexed, an operator places a paintroller cover on a spindle 23 at the loading station 25. This spindlewith the paint roller cover mounted thereon is brought, upon indexing ofthe table 22, into register with the first combing station 26. Thespindle 23 is rotated at a'speed of about 30 revolutions per minute andthe comb is rotated in the opposite direction at a speed of several morerevolutions per minute, namely, about 35 revolutions per minute. Asviewed in Fig. 8, the comb is rotated in a counter clockwise directionwhile the paint roller cover is rotated in a clockwise direction, whichis the same direction in which the table 22 is being indexed.

The spindle 23 remains in register with the comb of the first combingstation 26 for several seconds, which insures that the cover revolvesthrough a complete revolution and that the comb of the: combing stationwill cover the entire circumferential area of the paint roller cover.The comb serves to remove'the loose fibers from the pile of the paintroller cover and, in addition, serves to straighten thefibers-preparatory to shearing. The loose fibers are carried by theteeth 75 of the comb 80 around into position adjacent the vacuumconduit39 where the vacuum removes the fibers from the teeth and carriesthem to the vacuum source 37.

As the table is again indexed, the paint roller cover is carried intoregister With the second combing station 27 where it is subjected to asecond combing operation in a manner similar to the combing at thecombing station 26. Further indexing brings the paint roller cover intoregister with the third combing station 28, which operates in the samemanner as the previous combing station. It is preferable, but notabsolutely necessary, that the combs be successively finer as the paintroller cover proceeds from one station to another, namely, that theteeth of a comb at a successive combing station be more closely spacedthan in the previous combing station.-

The vacuum source 37 which provides the vacuum to the combing stations26, 27 and 28 is preferably separate from the other two vacuum sourcesin order that the fibers which are removed from the paint roller coversat these stations may be collected and reused in knitting new pilefabric sleeves for use as paint roller covers.

As the table 22 is again indexed, the paint roller cover is carried fromthe third combing station 28 to shearing station 29. As shown in Fig.10, the paint roller cover is brought into position adjacent the fixedplate 103 with the shear 97 rotating in an opposite direction from thedirection of rotation of the cover. The cover is, as previouslymentioned, rotating in a clockwise direction while the .shear 97 isrotating in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 10. The shearis rotating at a speed many times the speed of rotation of the paintroller cover, for example, between 400 and 600 revolutions per minute.

At the first shearing station 29, the fibers are sheared and the shearedfibers are removed by the vacuum through the conduit 44. Since theindexing of the table is at a uniform rate and, as previously mentioned,the paint roller cover remains at each station for several seconds, theshearing of the entire circumferential area of the paint roller cover isinsured, since in that interval, the paint roller cover rotates throughat least one revolution.

Upon further indexing of the table 22, the paint roller cover is broughtsuccessively into register with the combing stations 30, 31 where it issubjected to successive combing operations in the same manner as in theprevious combing stations. The fibers that are removed by the combingoperation are carried away through the conduits 45, 46 and the pilefibers in the cover are straightened in preparation for a secondshearing operation at the second shearing station 32.

As the table is again indexed, the paint roller cover is brought intoregister with the second shearing station 32. where it is subjected to ashearing operation similar to that in the first shearing station 29. Inaddition, a source of high vacuum is applied directly to the surface ofthe paint roller cover through conduit 52 and nozzle 120. The highvacuum applied through the nozzle 120 not only serves to remove thefibers which are sheared by the second shearing operation and are notremoved by the vacuum through conduit 47 but, in addition, serves tostraighten the pile fibers radially outwardly, thus, disposing them in amore favorable position for shearing. In this manner the pile fibers aresheared evenly to provide a smooth, even pile.

The paint roller cover is thereafter presented by indexing of the table22 to the bottom bevel shearing station 33 where the bottom of the paintroller cover is bevelled, the fibers which are sheared being carriedaway by nozzle 119 on conduit 51 (Fig. 11). In a similar manner, the topof the paint roller cover is bevelled at station 34 when the table isindexed to bring the paint roller cover into register with the station34. The bevelling shears are rotated at high speed, for example, between400 and 600 revolutions per minute.

The paint roller cover is then indexed to a position in register withthe high vacuum nozzle 122 where it is subjected to a final highvacuuming which removes any remaining loose fibers and lint and furtherstraightens the pile to provide a smooth even peripheral surface.

The paint roller cover is removed at station 36 and an untreated paintroller cover may be again applied to the spindle at station 25. Thespindles 23 may be of any desired length to support various lengths ofpaint roller covers, but preferably of such a length as to support apaint roller cover of the length which is used directly on a paintroller. Alternatively, a length of paint roller cover may be used whichmust subsequently be cut to shorter lengths for use on paint rollers.

Since the combing and shearing apparatus is continuously operated, apaint roller cover may be mounted on each of the spindles to provide acontinuous operation wherein, in any one position of the table, a paintroller cover is presented for treatment at each of the stations.

The comb at each of the combing stations may be positioned such adistance from the spindles that the pile of the paint roller cover iscombed and straightened to any desired depth. It is preferred that thefibers be combed substantially but not entirely throughout their length.For example, in handling a paint roller cover which is mounted on thecore of approximately one and a half inches in diameter with theuntreated pile fibers extending outwardly from the base of the coverapproximately one-half inch, the pile fibers may be combed to withinone-eighth inch of the base fabric of the cover.

The length of the pile fabric after combing and shearing may becontrolled by the position of the shears at each of the shearingstations, for example, in the paint roller cover of the size previouslymentioned, the length of the pile fibers after shearing may beapproximately threeeighth inches. It is preferred that this shearing .beaccomplished in successive stages. For example, the first shear might bepositioned to cut the pile fibers to a length of seven-sixteenths andthe second shear might be positioned to cut the fibers to the finallength of three-eighth inches.

It should be obvious that the combing and shearing of a paint rollercover takes a certain period of time. We have found that when thisperiod of time is broken up into smaller periods or increments of time,with a portion of the combing and shearing being accomplished at variousstations, the overall process is speeded up considerably. At the sametime, better results are obtained by providing a combing operationbetween the shearing operations.

It can thus be seen that we have provided a method and apparatus forcombing and shearing tubular paint roller covers wherein the loose pilefibers are removed and collected prior to shearing and wherein the pileof the paint roller cover is quickly and effectively combed,straightened and sheared to provide a smooth even peripheral surface.The apparatus is such that the combing and shearing is performedcontinuously and paint roller covers may be treated at each of theoperating stations simultaneously.

The method and apparatus may be used for treating a paint roller covermade from natural shearling or knitted fabric which is helically woundon a core, or is longitudinally seamed to form a tube which is mountedon a core. The method and apparatus are particularly useful in treatinga paint roller cover in which the untreated pile fabric is knitted in atube of smaller diameter and is mounted on a core and thereaftersubjected to the method and apparatus.

We claim:

1. In an apparatus for the manufacture of paint roller covers from apile fabric, the combination which comprises means for moving aplurality of tubular paint roller covers one by one to a plurality ofsuccessive stations arranged in a predetermined path, means forarresting movement of the covers in said path at each of said stationsand for rotating the covers about their longitudinal axes at each ofsaid stations, means at said first station for combing the pile fibersof the tubular paint roller covers to remove the loose fibers,straighten the pile fibers and cause the pile fibers to extend in a moreradial direction, means at said second station for shearing off theouter ends of the pile fibers to provide the covers with a cylindricalsurface of predetermined uniform diameter, means at a third station forcombing the pile fibers of the paint roller covers to remove the loosefibers, straighten the pile fibers and cause the pile. fibers to extendin a more radial direction, and means at a fourth station for shearingoff the outer ends of the pile fibers to provide the covers with acylindrical surface of predetermined uniform diameter less than thediameter of the surface formed at the second station.

2. In an apparatus for the manufacture of paint roller covers from apile fabric, the combination comprising means for moving a plurality oftubular paint roller covers one by one to a plurality of successivestations arranged in a predetermined path, means for arresting movementof the covers in said path at each of said stations and for rotating thecovers about their longitudinal axes at each of said stations, a seriesof combs of successively greater fineless at the stations along a firstportion of the path for combining out the loose fibers of the covers,straightening the pile fibers and causing the pile fibers to extend in amore radial direction, means at a successive station for shearing oilthe outer ends of the pile fibers to provide the cover with acylindrical surface of predetermined uniform diameter, means at asuccessive station for combing the pile fibers of the paint rollercovers to remove the loose fibers, straighten the pile fibers and causethe pile fibers to extend in a more radial direction, and means at afurther successive station for shear-' ing off the outer ends of thepile fibers to provide the cover with a cylindrical surface ofpredetermined uniform diameter less than the diameter of the surfaceformed at the prior shearing station.

3. In an apparatus for the manufacture of paint roller covers from apile fabric, the combination comprising a support mounted for rotationabout a vertical axis, a multiplicity of vertical spindles rotatablymounted on said support and lying on a circle concentric with the axisof said support and being equally angularly spaced with respect to theaxis of the support, a series of stations positioned about the peripheryof said support, said stations lying on a circle concentric with theaxis of said support and being equally angularly spaced to correspondwith the spacing of said spindles on said support, means for rotatingsaid support in step by step fashion to bring each spindle successivelyinto register with each station, said stations including, successively,means at a first station for combing the pile fibers of the tubularpaint roller covers to remove the loose fibers, straighten the pilefibers and cause the pile fibers to extend in a more radial direction,means at a second station for shearing off the outer ends of the pilefibers to provide the cover with a cylindrical surface of predetermineduniform diameter, means at a third station for combing the pile fibersof the paint roller covers to remove the loose fibers, straighten thepile fibers and cause the pile fibers to extend in a more radialdirection, and means at a fourth station for shearing off the outer endsof the pile fibers to provide the cover with a cylindrical surface ofpredetermined uniform diameter less than the diameter of the surfaceformed at the second station.

4. In an apparatus for the manufacture of paint roller covers from apile fabric, the combination which comprises means for moving aplurality of tubular paint roller covers one by one to a plurality ofsuccessive stations arranged in a predetermined path, means forarresting movement of the covers in said path at each of said stationsand for rotating the covers about their longitudinal axes at each ofsaid stations, a cylindrical comb at a first station having itslongitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of a cover at saidstation for combing the pile fibers of the tubular paint roller coversto remove the loose fibers, straighten the pile fibers and cause thepile fibers to extend in a more'radial direction, a cylindrical shear ata second station having its longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of acover at said station for shearing off the outer ends of the pile fibersto provide the covers with a cylindrical surface of predetermineduniform diameter, a cylindrical comb at a third station having itslongitudinal axis parallel to the axis of a cover at said station forcombing the pile fibers of the paint roller covers to remove the loosefibers, straighten the pile fibers and cause the pile fibers to extendin a more radial direction, and a cylindrical shear at a fourth stationhaving its longitudinal axis parallel to the axis of a cover at saidstation for shearing off the outer ends of the pile fibers to providethe covers with a cylindrical surface of predetermined uniform diameterless than the diameter of the surface formed at the second station.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,255,980 Broman Feb. 12, 1918 1,649,172- Mason Nov. 15, 1927 1,749,829Mason Mar. 11, 1930 2,035,641 Dickie et al Mar. 31, 1936" 2,149,886'Hadley Mar. 7, 1939 2,233,451 Huffman et a1 Mar. 4, 1941 2,477,154Valentine July 26, 1949 2,477,448 Friedman July 26, 1949 2,649,649Colehower Aug. 25, 1953 2,695,438 Bejeuhr Nov. 30, 1954 2,704,877Schmidt Mar. 29, 1955 2,705,827 Gamache Apr. 12, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS25,614 Great Britain of 1 903 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OFCORRECTION Patent No. 2,920,372 January 12, 1960 Alfred L. Sannipoli etal.

It is hereb$ certified that error appears in the-printed specificationof the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the saidLetters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 8, line 72, for "combining" read combing Signed and sealed this28th day of June 1960.

(SEA L) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

